When thriving is out, and surviving is in!

Last week I gifted my newsletter subscribers a copy of my eBook: “5 Tips to Thrive as a Busy Mummy” (you can get your free copy here). In it I share five simple things that you can do that set you up to enjoy motherhood more, ways that you can really thrive during this busy stage of your life.

But this week I want to be completely honest with you, and acknowledge that even though most of the time I do thrive – some days it is about pure survival.

Last week I travelled to the other side of the world to attend my little brothers wedding. I left 4 kids and a hubby behind, and set off on my own. Saying goodbye to them at the airport was so hard, I felt so alone, especially as for the last 6 months since moving we have been one extra tight little family unit (partly as we no longer have any family support around). However I knew they were in good hands with Daddy, and I was excited about some sun, seeing my own family, the wedding, and some very rare time alone.

After an incredible week, and one of the most special wedding’s I have attended, I found it very hard to say goodbye to my own parents and internationally-spread brothers and sisters, leave the sunshine, and return to a place that doesn’t quite feel like home yet. I most certainly had leaky eyes.

One of the things that also made it feel harder was that I knew I was returning to do it alone…just a few short hours after my return hubby had to go away for work for a couple of nights.

So here I am, back in the UK, the sky is grey, I am jet-lagged and have been wide-awake since 2am this morning, and I am very much looking forward to hubby returning this evening. Once again we will all be back under one roof.

I am sure you can imagine the last couple of days have not been about thriving. They have been about survival. There is no point trying to be amazing all the time, and it is okay to set the expectations a little lower every now and then in order to make them more achievable.

Have I got all the children’s homework done? No.
Did I collect Little Miss Two from nursery on time? Only just.
Did I read them all a bedtime story last night? Nope.
Had I remembered karate day for Miss 4 and Mstr 6? Nope – I was waiting and waiting for them outside their classroom after school, then ended up asking a teacher where they could be – whoops!
Did I get some time for myself? Yep – when I was wide awake at 2am.
Do any of those things really matter in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely not.

Nothing to do but shrug my shoulders, laugh at myself and carry on. My definition of thriving during this time is making it to the end of the day, making it through til hubby is home tonight, then soaking in the bath (most likely falling asleep and needing to be carried to bed).

It is important to remember to go easy on ourselves and keep things in perspective. And the tips in “5 Tips to Thrive as a Busy Mummy” are very useful tips for survival too. Often when working with clients I discover that mum’s are very hard on themselves, and try so hard to be amazing like they feel everyone around them is all the time. But we are not.

We are all human.

The best we can do is learn to be resilient through the tougher times, so that they don’t destroy us.

Foster a mindset of positivity and gratitude that sees you rocking on and ‘thriving’ – even when you are only just surviving.

Love and hugs to all the tired, busy mummies out there that feel like they are only just holding it together today – celebrate the smallest of successes and congratulate yourself on surviving!

There is still time to join me on Fuel 28 – where I share more tips to survive and thrive! You get 4 weeks of family-friendly meal plans, recipes and shopping lists, along with tools, webinars, support groups and 1:1 sessions with me to help you get clear and take action on what you really want for you and your family.

Join me along with a bunch of other incredible ladies this February. Want to know more? You can read more here, or make a time to have a chat with me about your personal goals for you and your family and learn how we can work together to make them a reality.